Roots of Sacrifice
by Kenshin Akagi
Summary: Danzo, fearing he may lose the perfect weapon in Naruto due to Hiruzen's stupidity captures the young Naruto and raises him in Root to become the perfect weapon, and perhaps, successor. Good!Danzo, Root!Naruto, Fem!Deidara/Naruto.
1. Danzo's plot

_**AN: Here's a Root!Naruto fic. Just the first chapter for now, just testing the waters.**_

**Roots of Sacrifice **

56 year old Danzo watched as his rival- and once, friend- hand over the Yondaime's child over to the caretaker of the Orphanage. Even Danzo, blind in one eye, could see the obvious hatred the caretaker held for the Jinchuuriki. Why Hiruzen was trusting this old lady was beyond him. If Danzo couldn't have the Yondaime's legacy, than he would have at least handed him over to Nono who could protect him and train him, instead of a old woman who would obviously mistreat the boy.

It was later that night, when Danzo was lurking in his Root headquarters, that he came up with a plan. It would take some of his cunning...no, all of his cunning and his subordinates could _not, _under ANY circumstances, fail. Quickly sending out the required message, Danzo signaled for an entire squad of his best Root ANBU to guard the Jinchuuriki. If things went as planned, it would be a bloodbath. If things didn't go as planned...then Konoha would go up in flames.

* * *

Root agent #507 used a small katon jutsu to burn the message he had received from Danzo-Sama. Quickly adopting his false persona again, he went back to his 'job' as the Tsuchikage's secretary. Root agent #507, or as he was called, 'Izaya', wrote down a false message detailing the location of the Yondaime Hokage's child, then raced into the Tsuchikage's room. "Tsuchikage-Sama! An urgent message from our spy in Konoha!"

Onoki jumped out of his chair. "What did you say?!" Onoki roughly grabbed the message from 'Izaya', and a large grin broke out on his face. "This is perfect! Izaya, go get an ANBU! Tell him I have the perfect assassination mission for him!"

* * *

The Iwa ANBU remained silent as he readied his kunai. It had been two months since he received the mission to kill the Yondaime's son, and only now was he ready to do it. He had waited for the perfect time, when there were a minimum amount of ANBU guarding the child. He silently sneaked into the Orphanage, stood over the old rotting cradle of the child before bringing down his kunai quickly. His kunai stabbed into the child's left eye as a Kunai was thrown through the back of the Iwa ANBU's head, and he fell over dead.

The baby Naruto was crying as a Root member quickly picked him up, while another Root member began lighting the Orphanage on fire. Nodding to each other, the Root members disappeared to report to Danzo and heal Naruto.

* * *

A few weeks passed since the abduction of Namikaze Naruto, and everyone thought he had perished in the fire caused by the Iwa Anbu, who was luckily taken out by a Konoha ANBU before he fled the village. Danzo let his smile go unnoticed throughout the council session speaking of the Jinchuriki's death, and quickly left to return to Root headquarters. He had a boy to raise, after all.

_**AN: There. I haven't found a lot of Root Naruto fics, only The Sealed Kunai and Nidaime War Hawk. This fic is going to look a bit more into the function of Root, and a bit of Danzo's character. I can't tell you how pissed I get when I read a fic just calling Danzo a War Hawk who attempts to rather stupidly threaten the Mary-Sue Naruto and dies in one hit.**_

_**And Vote for Naruto's team in Reviews! Choices are Sai Naruto Kabuto or Sai Naruto FemDeidara. **_

_**KenshinAkagi...signing off.**_


	2. Kagami

_**An: Kenshin Akagi here. Any questions, comments, or concerns about Roots of Sacrifice or any of my other stories? Let me know. I'm also looking for anyone who wants to adopt A Snake and a Jashinist walk into a Soul Society. Pirates of the Ninja Sea will update soon, I just need to find a site with One Piece Manga.**_

Naruto Namikaze awoke quickly as his alarm gave a soft beeping sound. Quickly moving out of bed, the young Namikaze placed his Anbu gear on quickly before hanging his Root mask, a Salamander, on his belt and exiting his room. Strolling briskly down the halls of the underground Root base, most would wonder exactly why an eight year old boy would be in the base of an organization which was supposedly disbanded.

Approaching the room of his leader, Naruto placed his Salamander Anbu mask on, taking careful care to avoid hitting his left 'eye'. In truth, Naruto's left eye was practically gouged out when the Iwa Anbu failed to kill him, so Naruto was forced to wear a medical eyepatch. While this would hinder almost any other Shinobi, Naruto was able to adjust to the Shinobi life extremely. That was the rule of Root. Either you become strong enough to support the great tree of Konoha, or you would be crushed.

Knocking twice, he heard a sharp "Enter" from the resident of the room. Naruto, or as he was known with the mask on Sanshouo, entered the room quickly and silently.

Danzo looked down at his greatest member, but kept his face clear of emotion. "Sanshouo. How have you come along on your training?"

Sanshouo was silent for a few seconds. "Kenjutsu is Above Average. Taijutsu is Average. Chakra Control is Average. Chakra level is High. Genjutsu is Average. Ninjutsu is High. That is my report, Danzo-Sama."

Danzo nodded. "What about the Kyuubi's chakra?"

Here the hesitation was more noticeable. "I have done the meditation exercises alongside Fu, and have encountered the Kyuubi. It refuses to give me chakra, and Fu was forced to remove me from my mindscape."

Danzo had a slight frown on his face. "Hm...well, I believe I may have a way to gain control of the Kyuubi. Sanshouo! In about a week, you shall head to the Uchiha compound alongside Itachi Uchiha. Assist him in exterminating the Uchiha Clan. After Itachi flees, gather all Mangekyou Sharingan and several normal Sharingan, but do it quickly. Understood?"

If Sanshouo was confused, he did not show it. "Understood, Danzo-Sama."

"You have your mission. Go prepare."

"Hai!" Sanshouo quickly disappeared into the shadows, as a small grin came across Danzo's face.

"Kagami...your Eye will be most useful...Let's just hope your sons is too."

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi entered the Council Room, seeing his old teammates there. Koharu and Homura were speaking in hushed tones, while Danzo was sitting in his seat, waiting for Hiruzen to declare the meeting started. Hiruzen sat down at the table, setting his Hokage hat in front of him.

"It is time to discuss the Uchiha Clan, Hiruzen. We can not allow them to launch a coup!" Danzo was first to speak up, as Shisui's Mangekyou slowly activated underneath his bandages.

"I know what you're thinking, Danzo! We will not destroy the Uchiha clan. Doing so will make us look even worse. I will find a peaceful solution..."

Danzo scoffed at this. "When will you find this solution, Hiruzen? After Fugaku has already launched us into a Fourth war? We have no Jinchuuriki to disway the other Great Nations from war. It is we either destroy the clan, or destroy the village!"

Homura looked to Danzo. "And how do you suggest this, Danzo? We can hardly fill the compound with ANBU. Doing so will bring up too many questions, make us seem so weak to the other villages that we can hardly stop a possible rebellion." Koharu nodded her head to this statement.

"Not to mention that we'd look almost as bad as Kirigakure. Konoha got to where it is today by seeming to be the friendliest of the villages."

Sarutobi quietly smoked his pipe, before sighing. "I see no other way to stop them. I will call for a squad of ANBU to slay them quickly..."

"That won't be necessary, Hiruzen." The three elders looked as Danzo spoke. "We have a very powerful ninja in our ranks, whose loyalty to Konoha outshines his loyalty to the Uchiha. I vote we have Itachi Uchiha massacre the clan, and create the facade of a missing nin." Danzo silently cast Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen.

Sarutobi looked troubled for a minute, before nodding. "Fine...I will inform Itachi..."

As the Elders were leaving, Danzo grinned. Sometimes it was just _too _easy.

_**AN: I've decided the pairing will be FemDeidara/Naruto. Please review!**_


	3. Sharingan V Kyuubi

_**An: KenshinAkagi here. Time to answer a question from Coconut Walrus. The reason that Danzo doesn't have Naruto practice Fuinjutsu is fairly simple; That isn't what Naruto's purpose is. In Danzo's mind, it's like using a screwdriver to hammer in nails. It's possible, but it's not its intended purpose. Danzo is trying to make Naruto into the ultimate weapon, the ultimate Army destroyer via techniques like Rasengan, Hirashin (As Naruto is the only one capable of using it), and every last ounce of Kurama's chakra.**_

Sanshouo watched silently as Itachi quickly fled the village after massacring the Uchiha clan. Only Itachi's younger brother had been spared, and despite how much Sanshouo wanted to kill the young boy, Sasuke, he had remembered that Danzo-Sama had given the order to let the younger Uchiha heir live. Shrugging, as it really didn't matter to him, Sanshouo put the spoils of the night into several jars, sealing them all into a pocket scroll. Danzo-Sama had mentioned the scroll having been made by Sai, and Sanshouo made a note to thank him later.

* * *

12-year old Deidara grinned as she felt the Kinjutsu take effect. She was considered a prodigy, already in the Explosion Corps and therefore a Special Jonin, apprentice to the Tsuchikage himself, and well-respected by several of the villagers. But that wasn't enough.

From a very young age, Deidara was obsessed with Art. Not painting, mind you, but Explosions. The beauty that lasted for only that fleeting moment...wasn't that was life was? So much beauty, but over so quickly. Deidara felt that as a shinobi who deals in death, this Art was the truest, purest form. And now, she had taken it to the next level by stealing a powerful Kinjutsu straight from under Onoki's big red nose. Of course, she would be arrested and possibly killed, but Deidara had no intention of getting caught.

She had been pretending to recover from a previous mission for a few weeks now, and she had fought the urge to make Art until now. Quickly feeding clay into the mouths on her palms, she created a large clay owl. Deidara jumped onto it and soared outside of the Tsuchikage tower, launching clay bombs all over Iwa. "This is my Art, un! Art is a Blast! Katsu!" When Deidara yelled out Katsu, all the clay bombs began exploding while Deidara flew out of Iwa. Time to show Art to the world.

* * *

Danzo walked into the surgical room they had set up in Root Headquarters. Naruto was strapped to the table, a stoic look on his face and his medical eyepatch off, while Fu was standing near him. Two Root members, both trained in medical arts, stepped forward with one carrying a jar with an eye floating around in liquid. The eye was a normal Sharingan, with three tomoes. Danzo cleared his throat.

"Naruto Namikaze...I present you the left eye of my former teammate Kagami Uchiha in the hopes it will allow you to control the Kyuubi. Do you accept?"

"...Hai, Danzo-Sama." Danzo nodded, as the Root medical ninja placed Naruto unconscious. Danzo allowed a smirk to cross his face. The Kyuubi's power would be put to good use for Konoha...

When the eye was properly transferred, Danzo nodded his head towards the thirteen year old Fu, who placed his hands on the side of Naruto's head. "His mind is stable for now, Danzo-Sama."

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes as he awoke in a sewer. He began walking forward until he reached a massive cage with a small paper tag keeping it closed, with the Kanji for SEAL written on it. The Kyuubi approached the gate, and roared at the sight of Naruto's left eye as chakra began pouring dangerously around him.

**"You DARE come here with that accursed eye! I've told you before! You will not have my power!" **Naruto merely stared emotionlessly at the colossal fox, attempting to use the Sharingan to control the mighty fox.

"Why isn't the Sharingan working..." Naruto muttered, as Kyuubi began laughing. More chakra began licking at Naruto's flesh, and it was beginning to hurt.

**_"_Foolish Human! Only the Mangekyou Sharingan can even hope to contain my power! But for trying to control me...I will kill you, no matter what seal stands in my way! You want power? YOU'VE GOT IT!" **Massive amounts of chakra were peeling away at Naruto's skin now, and he was in far worse pain than he ever was during any training session. Soon a massive wooden gate seemed to crash onto the Kyuubi's head, ruining its concentration as the chakra began to let up. '**_Mokuton?_ _How?!'_ **

Naruto slowly stood up as his left eye began taking a new shape, that up a five sided shuriken with curved sides on a red background. Naruto glared right into the eye of the Kyuubi.

**"WHAT?! NO! HOW DO YOU HAVE THE MANGEKYOU?!"** Naruto glared even harder at this.

"The Sharingan is a bloodline brought by Hatred...you, Kyuubi, are a mass of Hatred, destined only to cause destruction. When you overloaded me with chakra, it forced the Sharingan to adapt. Kyuubi...you are nothing more than a beast that must be tamed! The Shodaime commanded that you would serve Konoha, but you refuse to understand! I will take your hatred, and direct it towards the enemies of the great tree of Konoha! This is your fate! Now..._Submit!"_ The shuriken in Naruto's eye began spinning rapidly, as a copy of the Sharingan appeared in Kyuubi's eyes.

'_**Dammit...Old man Rikudou...you fool...**__**Curse you Namikaze Naruto...**_

* * *

Naruto awoke quickly, looking up to Danzo standing over him with his right arm on Naruto's forehead. Danzo looked almost worriedly at Naruto. "Well? How did it go? I poured my Mokuton chakra into you when you began losing control..."

Naruto had a small smile, as his Mangekyou activated and lazily spun. "Kyuubi's power...is Konoha's power." Danzo grinned. Truly, things were going magnificently.

_**AN: Review, please. Comment on anything you have questions on, things you hope to see. **_

_**KenshinAkagi...signing off.**_


	4. First mission

_**AN: Man, I'm really pumping these chapters out. If you guys want to suggest missions, Root members, etc. than go right on ahead. But man, 3 days and already 36 followers! Woot!**_

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk in the Hokage's office, replacing the tobacco in his pipe. He gently rubbed the side of his head as he remembered what today was. The day that their Jinchuuriki, and more importantly son of the Yondaime Hokage, was killed in a fire. Nearly half of the Orphanage burned down, with nearly twenty casualties. Hiruzen sometimes wondered what would've happened had he given Naruto to one of the clans, or maybe to his old teammate Danzo.

Hiruzen shook his head of such thoughts. If Naruto was given to the Uchiha, he might've also been killed in the massacre. And if given to Danzo...Hiruzen frowned. At best, Naruto would be rendered with no emotions, just another tool. Hiruzen looked sadly at the picture of his successor, the Yondaime. If Minato was still alive, everything would've been _different_. Hiruzen looked down at one of the mission reports his son Asuma had sent him from the Fire Temple, speaking of a boy who possessed the Nine-Tails chakra, a pseudo-Jinchuuriki.

As the Sandaime began forming plans to help protect Konoha, he could not have know that the young boy that was occupying his thoughts moments before was leading his own mission to protect Konoha.

* * *

Naruto walked to the training room, seeing Sai as the only Root agent there. In truth, Naruto felt a strange 'bond' with Sai; When Sai had lost his brother Shin, Naruto had been the one to help him, and Danzo had informed Naruto that Sai was to be his partner in case the Kyuubi broke free from the seal. Naruto saw Sai as the only one capable of stopping the Kyuubi other than Danzo, and respected him for it. Sai, and in truth most of Root, saw Naruto as Danzo's personal apprentice, and respected him for it. It also helped that Naruto was in Root for longer than almost anyone there.

"Hello Naruto-Sempai. Are you here to train?" Sai greeted him politely, with a fake smile on his face. Naruto shook his head no.

"I was ordered to come and retrieve you. Danzo-Sama requests our presence." Sai nodded, and the two walked along the Root base, making small talk about the results of their training.

* * *

Danzo sat behind his desk in Root Headquarters, as a small squad of Root Anbu stood before him. At the head of the Root Anbu was Naruto, his medical patch placed over his Sharingan eye and his mask at his side. To the right of Naruto was Sai, who Danzo had appointed as Naruto's 'Bodyguard'. In the off-chance that the Kyuubi escaped from Naruto's control, Sai could reinforce the seal.

The Yami No Shinobi spoke. "Naruto. This shall be your first mission as Squad leader. A small band of Iwa nin have been sighted regularly near our border. They have been sighted approaching in our territory frequently, and may be attempting to start an incident to draw us in a war. I am trusting you to dispose of them, and so I appoint you head of a team of four Root Anbu, including yourself and Sai. Do you accept?" Naruto placed his mask on, as Sai and the other two Root Members did too. Danzo nodded.

"Sanshouo, refrain from using the Mangekyou unless absolutely necessary. Understood?" Naruto nodded. "You have your mission. Go!" The four ninja disappeared, leaving Danzo alone in his office. Danzo stayed still for a few seconds, before speaking once more. "Tell your master I will meet with him soon." As Danzo left, a small white snake slithered from the room.

* * *

Root #507 awoke in a hospital bed, several burn marks trailing his body. He had been in the Tsuchikage's tower at the time of the first explosion, and was heavily injured. From what he had heard drifting in and out of consciousness, Hunter nin were already chasing Deidara into Fire Country. #507 sprawled a message out as quick as he could with his injuries, and summoned a small hummingbird. The hummingbird flew off with the message, as #507 returned to sleep.

* * *

Deidara clutched the wound at her side as she struggled to get away from the Iwa Hunter nin. She had counted about six of those bastards before they blew her clay owl right out of the sky, showing at least one of them was a former comrade in the Explosion Corps. She had been running for a few days now, hiding in caves in an attempt to recover until she was found again. She had managed to take out three of the Hunter nins, but was now out of clay.

Her senses warned her of an incoming strike, as she jumped back to avoid an explosive Kunai. The three remaining Hunter nin soon surrounded her, each of them prepared to kill her. Deidara pull out two kunai. _'Is this it? My final work of art?!' _Before the three hunter nin jumped at her, a large ink lion attacked in between them as they jumped back to avoid it. When Deidara looked again, she saw four rather oddly dressed shinobi, each of them with Anbu style masks on. The one with the Salamander mask, whom she assumed was leader, stepped forward with a tanto in his hand.

"Shinobi of Iwagakure...your service as Shinobi ends today."

**_AN: There! That seems like a good place to end it. And Root #507 makes his semi-triumphant return! Please review, leave comments, questions, concerns, ideas, etc. Thanks for reading!_**

**_KenshinAkagi...Signing off._**


	5. Capturing Deidara

**_AN: asshat here! Time for another chapter of Roots of Sacrifice. But before that..._**

**_I finally got a negative review, from a user named saltyuchiha! Woot! I wouldn't so much as call it a Flame, as it did give some form of suggestion (mainly putting more than a few shitty paragraphs per chapter). In honor of this moment, I shall be referred to as 'asshat' for this chapter. Time for the new chapter! Woot!_**

Danzo slowly walked in the sewers underneath Konohagakure, as the hissing and slithering of snakes was heard all around him. The smell in the sewers was almost unnatural, obviously a side-effect of the experimentation Orochimaru had performed down there during his time for Root. The Root Leader approached a massive wooden door, and knocked twice. The door slid open, as snakes poured in from all around his feet.

Standing in the center of the room was Orochimaru of the Densetsu No Sannin. He had a small smirk on his face, and began speaking. "Hello Danzo. I trust you made it here without too much trouble?"

"I have little time for this, Orochimaru. Get to the point." Danzo gave a small one-eyed glare, and Orochimaru's smirk slightly lessened.

"I wish to attack Konoha." Danzo immediately prepared to fight, and Orochimaru began chuckling. "No, I won't cause _too _much harm to the village. All I really want is to kill my old sensei. After all, we both benefit. I get my revenge, and _you_ become Hokage." Danzo eventually relaxed slightly; not too much, as Orochimaru would surely attempt to kill him or something and Danzo _was _always a paranoid old man.

"Explain how I can help you, Orochimaru."

"Keep your men away when I launch my invasion. Leave the rest to me. It may take a few years though, I must build my invasion force." Danzo looked conflicted for a few seconds, before stepping forward and shaking Orochimaru's hand.

"It shall be done."

* * *

Sanshouo looked towards one of his subordinates. "Taiki. Heal the girl."

"Hai, Sanshouo-Taicho." Taiki went over to Deidara, and began healing the wounds that Deidara had suffered. Sanshouo nodded at this, than launched forward at the three Iwa nin with his tanto in hand. The lead Iwa nin raced through hand seals, making a large slab of earth to block the strike. Sanshouo channeled wind chakra to his tanto and sliced through the earth wall. The lead Iwa nin launched a blast of rock at Sanshouo's face, but it was knocked away by a blast of water from Tora.

Sai began fiercely painting a large ink tiger which peeled off of the painting and attacked another Hunter nin, who sliced through it with his kunai. The Hunter nin jumped forward to attack Sai, before a copy of Sanshouo jumped into his side.

"Great Clone Explosion!" The copy of Sanshouo exploded, killing the Hunter nin. Sai sent a nod of thanks to Sanshouo, who continued his fight with the lead ninja. Tora was engaging the last ninja in Taijutsu, but was being overwhelm by the Iwa ninja's rock armor. Sai began channeling lightning chakra into his tanto, and threw it at the two. As Tora went in to punch the Iwa nin, he grabbed the lightning enhanced blade and sliced through the rock armor quickly. The Iwa nin grunted in pain as he felt the blade cut through his flesh.

He didn't feel the lightning enhanced kunai pass through his brain, though.

* * *

Asuma put his arm on Sora's shoulder, as they stood before the gates of Konoha. The ninja was smiling politely, and Sora had a large smile on his face.

"Sora...this is your home now. This is Konoha." Asuma said, glad that he had managed to convince Sora to come to Konoha. He had felt bad about getting the son of one of his old comrades to come just as a war deterrent, but the guilt was lessened somewhat when Sora had spoken interest of being a ninja. "Let's go visit the Hokage."

* * *

Danzo returned to his office and sighed as he sat in his seat. He had felt horrible for willingly betraying Hiruzen, but pushed those emotions down. If it was for Konoha, than it must be done. His thoughts were interrupted when a small Hummingbird flew in front of him with a message tied to its beak. Danzo took the message off the bird, which dismissed itself.

_Artist moved show out of mountain city. Critics putting Artist under fire.-507_

Danzo's eye grew wide as he realized the meaning behind the message. So Deidara had finally cracked and fled Iwa? She may make a fine addition to Root...Danzo brought out a piece of paper, and began drawing a seal on it. When the seal was finished, he wrote a short message to Sanshouo which disappeared as soon as the ink touched the paper. Danzo sat back with a grin growing on his face. He had always appreciated Art...

* * *

The lead Iwa nin swore as he saw his team be taken out easily. They had been running for the past week, getting stuck in exploding traps left by Deidara and were exhausted. The Iwa nin surrounded himself in Earth Armor, knowing that the second the painter kid got an eye of it he would be sliced with a lightning enhanced tanto. He raised his arm up to block the kick from the Anbu with a Salamander Mask, pushing him back with a wild swing.

Sanshouo looked at the Iwa nin's armor, and summoned a clone which began making wild motions on Sanshouo's outstretched hand. A small blue ball of chakra began forming, and Sanshouo rushed forward and slammed it into a wide-eyed Iwa nin. "Rasengan!" The Rasengan broke through the armor easily, grinding straight through the Iwa ninja's heart before emerging the other end of the Stone Armor. Naruto grinned behind his mask. It had taken him nearly a year to get the Rasengan even to that level.

The Iwa ninja fell to the ground, as Sanshouo felt a burning on his tongue. A message appeared in his mind, and he removed his mask and looked at the blond girl who was now fully healed by Taiki. Deidara stood up and avoided Naruto's eye.

"Thanks for your help, I guess. I'm Deidara. Who are you?" Deidara looked at the young boy in front of her curiously. The boy removed the medical eye patch, revealing a Sharingan.

"...We are Root." The Sharingan began spinning as Deidara fell to the ground unconscious. Naruto placed his Medical eye patch back on, and ordered Tora to carry Deidara. "We're going back now. See to it she does not awake."

"Hai, Sanshouo-Taicho."

_**AN: Boom! Chapter five, son! Please Review, comment, post ideas for missions, summoning contracts, Root OC's, ask any questions.**_

_**asshat...signing off.**_


	6. Sasuke's dream

_**AN: KenshinAkagi here! Chapter 6, here we go!**_

Deidara's eyes slowly opened as her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the Root base. She was in an empty room, and her head was pounding. She tried to remember what had happened, and the memory of the boy who resembled the Yondaime appeared in her mind. '_That little shit used genjutsu on me! I am so getting him back, un!' _

Deidara struggled to her feet as her headache slowly faded. A plate of food was roughly pushed through a flap on the door, and Deidara began pounding on the door. "Oy! Let me out, un!" She roughly pounded for five minutes, before going back into a sitting position and looking at the food provided. A piece of bread, some water, and what seemed like porridge.

Anger coursed through Deidara's veins, as she saw the trash that was to be her food. How dare they treat her like this! She was an Artist!

Deidara's visible eye widened and she began racing through her clay pouches looking for even the smallest amount of clay. She found a few small pieces in them, and managed to scrape a bit from the zipper. The blonde artist looked at the pitiful amount of clay in her hand, and began eating her food quickly. She would need all the strength she had in order to escape from this prison.

* * *

_The boy casually swung his tanto around, slicing down kids left and right. His face was hidden behind an Anbu mask, with only a yellow crop of spiky hair being visible. Sasuke took a step back as the boy began walking towards him. The Tanto came down like a blur of silver, and everything went black._

Sasuke awoke breathing heavily in his apartment, tears gently streaming down his face. It had been a few months since the Uchiha Massacre, and his dreams had been plagued with memories of the massacre. But that had been the first one with the boy in the Salamander mask...

Had that boy been working with Itachi? Sasuke gritted his teeth as he thought of his elder brother, forcibly ignoring the small pain in his heart. Itachi had killed his parents, and the entire clan, leaving only Sasuke alive. '_My path is that of an Avenger...' _Sasuke thought bitterly, as he got out of bed to prepare for the Academy. _'Even if I have to train until I bleed, I will get my revenge, both on Itachi and the Salamander mask.'_

* * *

Danzo sat in his office while Sanshouo kneeled in front of him. Danzo focused his attention on the Jinchuuriki. "Report, Sanshouo."

"Hai. Squad 47-B, composed of Root members Taiki, Tora, and Sai, under leadership of Sanshouo, went on a patrolling mission near Fire country border to investigate reports of Iwa shinobi. We came across three Iwagakure Hunter nin preparing to battle a girl, whom we have now identified as Deidara the bomber. I ordered Taiki to heal Deidara of her wounds, which consisted of several kunai wounds, explosion marks, and Chakra exhaustion. While this was happening, Tora, Sai and I engaged the three Iwa ninja in combat."

Danzo nodded thoughtfully. "Remember that they were chasing Deidara for quite sometime. They were not in top form, so do not consider them weak, Sanshouo. Though from my report from Izaya, a squad of six was sent after Deidara. Impressive that she had taken three of them down beforehand. I gather you used the Sharingan to defeat her?"

Sanshouo nodded. "I did not wish to engage her in combat so quickly. She was still an unknown. Besides, you requested her to be recovered quickly, so I used the Sharingan to render her unconscious."

"Rise, and remove your mask, Sanshouo."

Sanshouo hesitated, before removing his mask. His face was pale due to being devoid of sun for so long, and his cheeks appeared to have once been rubbed raw. If one looked closely, they could see faint whisker marks. A white Medical Eyepatch was over his left eye, while his right eye was blue and nearly void of emotion. His face was set into a stoic mask. His blonde hair was spiky, but two bangs of it were beginning to trail on the sides of his face.

Danzo looked with pride at Naruto. '_This is my weapon, my successor. If you had your way Hiruzen, than he would be weak.' _Danzo thought to himself. "How are you coming along with the Rasengan, Naruto? Or the Hiraishin?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I can only perform Rasengan with a clone...and I do not believe the power is as it should be." Danzo nodded his head thoughtfully. There was no way he could be disappointed in the boy; It took Minato three years just to develop the Rasengan, and even Jiraiya of the Sannin took three months to learn it even with the creator himself teaching it to him.

"As for the Hiraishin...the seal is complex, Danzo-sama. Sai and Fu are helping me decode it...While I am unable to transport myself or other people, I found a way to transport items to an area with the seal. I think with a bit more time I can make it a standard for all Root agents." With this Danzo's face seemed to _glow _with happiness.

"Perfect. I will have Sai begin teaching you Fuinjutsu. How is the Kyuubi coming along?" This was what Danzo was really wondering about; with the full might of the Kyuubi on their side, Iwagakure wouldn't dare to touch Konoha.

Naruto closed his eyes, as blood-red chakra began forming around him. One tail of chakra formed, than two, than three, before the chakra disappeared. Blood began dripping down from the bottom of the medical eyepatch. "I can only go up to three tails worth of chakra, Danzo-Sama."

_'Well, it's better than nothing.' _"Good. Go rest; I'll send for you later." Naruto nodded, and left the room in a sunshin. Danzo stood from his chair; there was an Artist to convince.

**_AN: Please review, comment, ask questions, post mission ideas or OC's you would like to see. _**

**_KenshinAkagi...out._**


	7. Naruto V Deidara

_**AN: Not much to say here. Deidara is convinced to join ROOT, really. That's pretty much it.**_

Danzo opened the door to Deidara's cell, before ducking to avoid two bats made of clay which exploded above him. Deidara attempted to run out to attack him when she was pushed to the ground by a Root member, whose purple hands were poised above her throat. "That is enough, Deidara."

Deidara glared at the old man, and was about to spit at his feet when the Root member on top of her knocked her head on the ground. Danzo spoke up once more. "I will give you a chance. If you defeat the Root member I select for you, you are free to go and we will not contact you again. If you lose, you must swear loyalty to Root. Deal?" Danzo looked down at her with his one visible eye, and Deidara glared at him.

"Fuck you, un..."

"You don't really have a choice here, Deidara. If you do not accept than we can either kill you, breed you for your explosion release, or we could just forcibly brainwash you. Your choice, of course." Danzo said casually, smirking internally at the look of rage on the blonde artists face. The artist from Iwa fumed for a few seconds, before nodding her head slightly. "Let her go, Torune. Come, let us meet your opponent." Torune got off of Deidara carefully, and Deidara and Danzo began walking further into the base.

"So what is Root, anyway?" Deidara asked curiously. Might as well know what she was being forced to join.

Danzo continued walking, but he did answer. "Root is a branch of Konoha's ANBU, selected to do the mission crucial for Konoha's survival. Seduction, mass murder, Assassination of important figures...anything that would ruin Konoha's image is done by us. Few know about us, in fact the Hokage believes that I disbanded Root." Deidara nodded. Pretty simple stuff, these Anbu did the dirty jobs that no one else could do.

The two entered a large gray room, with slightly dim lights. Deidara glanced to the sides of the room and saw dozens of similarly dressed people with Anbu masks. The Root members stood as still as statues, and were all looking at the center of the room which resembled a training area. Danzo motioned for Deidara to stand on one side of the center, than slammed his cane on the ground.

"Naruto!" A Root member emerged from crowd, kneeling in front of Danzo. Deidara recognized him as the same boy who used the genjutsu on her. Deidara pointed at him and yelled. "Hey! You're the little punk who used genjutsu on me, un!" Naruto didn't even seem to hear her, instead continuing to gaze at Danzo.

"Naruto, you will face Deidara in battle. See to it that you do not needlessly injure her, as if you win she will join Root in protecting Konoha."

Naruto nodded. "Hai, Danzo-Sama." Naruto stood up, and threw a kunai at Deidara. Deidara jumped to the side and launched a clay bird at Naruto's face. Naruto withdrew his tanto and sliced the bird in half, getting caught in a minor explosion. Deidara smirked, but jumped to the side as Naruto jumped through the smoke and sliced with his tanto, cutting some of Deidara's hair. Deidara frowned and launched another clay bird at Naruto while creating distance between them.

'_Shit...I'm almost out of clay, un. Gotta take out the tanto, than I can take him out with Taijutsu.' _Deidara thought calmly, preparing another clay bird. Her effort was cut short as Naruto swung his tanto yet again, and Deidara reached her hand out to grab the blade, covering it in clay. Naruto channeled wind chakra through the blade, slicing into Deidara's hand but also detonating the clay, causing an explosion that destroyed the blade. The two blondes were forced back by the force of the explosion.

Deidara gently removed some of the tanto shards from her wounds, and her eyes widened as she saw that her opponent was surrounded in a red haze of chakra. The shards of the tanto emerged from Naruto's body, as the wounds healed. Blood began dripping from his medical eyepatch, and the haze of chakra disappeared.

Naruto rushed at Deidara again, this time using his fists. The two blondes began fighting using Taijutsu, until Deidara placed her palm mouth on Naruto's chest.

"Explosion Release: Landmine Fist!" A blast of red energy shot from her palm, blowing into Naruto's chest. Deidara grinned at the shocked expression on Naruto's face...just before Naruto exploded, knocking her into the far wall.

Naruto stepped forward slowly. "That was...Great Clone Explosion." Deidara groaned as she tried getting back up, but the force of the Clone Explosion was too strong for her, and she drifted away into unconsciousness. Naruto stood up and wiped the blood from his eyepatch. Danzo motioned his hand towards Deidara, and Fu and Torune grabbed her.

"Prepare her for the sealing. Get her a room. From today on, she is a member of ROOT."

* * *

"Alright everyone, we have a new student! Can you introduce yourself?" Iruka said as he looked at the new student. Iruka knew the boy carried Kyuubi, but the boy seemed decent for now, other than the bandaged right arm. The boy stood to his left, and pointed his left hand straight in the air.

"I'm Sora, a monk from the Fire Temple! I'm gonna be Hokage!" Sore yelled out. Asuma had told him that the Hokage was the strongest in the village; the most respected person. Sora's grin fell as everyone in the class started laughing at him. Iruka managed to get the class to quiet down, and had Sora sit down next to Sasuke.

* * *

Danzo shuffled his way into the council room, seeing that he was the last one there for once.

"You're late, Danzo." Hiruzen said with a frown, still smoking on his pipe. Danzo sat in his seat, stretching a bit.

"I apologize, Hiruzen. I had important matters to take care of." Mainly writing the seal on Deidara's tongue, and the tongue's of each of her palm mouths. Hiruzen cleared his throat.

"I have good news! I have located the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi!" Danzo's visible eye widened at this, as all of his muscles tensed for a fight. Hiruzen looked strangely at Danzo, before continuing. "Asuma has found a young boy named Sora at the Fire Temple, whose father sealed the Nine Tails into him. Me and Jiraiya have been studying the seal, and we believe he may now be the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. I already have Jiraiya spreading the existence of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki across his Spy network. Hopefully this way Iwa will stop testing our patience."

Homura and Koharu both smiled at this, and Danzo nodded. "Well done, Hiruzen. I propose we give the Jinchuuriki training soon. If we are to fight Iwa, we need a weapon." Hiruzen frowned at this.

"No, Danzo. He is but a child; he will go to the academy as normal. You're dismissed." Danzo and the other Elders stood up and left, while Danzo was seething on the inside.

'_Hiruzen, you fool...Yet again, it is up to me to protect Konoha!'_

**_AN: Chapter 7, completed. Again, Please review! I can't tell you how happy it makes me to get them! Also, post any of YOUR ideas for Missions, Fights, and Original Characters. _  
**

**_KenshinAkagi...signing off._**


	8. A New Team

_**AN: Chapter Eight here! Sorry for the wait, I was kinda busy with school. Please leave a Review, Root Oc, mission ideas. You guys are the reason I write!**_

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his office in Konohagakure looking over the mission requests of the day. It had been a rather calm week since Sora was brought to the village, and Sarutobi was hoping it would stay calm and peaceful. But of course, a ninja's life is never peaceful. Whether it be a dangerous missing nin attacking the village, forcing a thirteen year old boy to massacre his clan, or doing a lot of paperwork, Hiruzen could never get a break.

But Hiruzen would rather have all three of those things than what was happening right now. He had just gotten a mission request from a Noble Lord on the Daimyo's seat of advisors, one Matsuyo Okura. Matsuyo had a reputation of being a prick of the highest order, and was almost always pushing for a lower budget for Konoha. This almost fucked Konoha in the ass during the Third Great Ninja War. You would think that Matsuyo would get the message that Low Funds= Tons of Death and destruction, with damage raking in the millions?

Nope. Matsuyo decided to cut the budget even more. Hiruzen had to cut the budgets to several low-income places attached to Konoha, including the Orphanage ran by Nono. Hiruzen briefly thought of the kind caregiver, remembering that he hadn't heard from her for nearly a year now.

Hiruzen refocused on the mission report. Apparently, Matsuyo had discovered that his wife was cheating on him, with a rather young nobleman. Matsuyo was requesting an assassination of both his wife and the nobleman, with the promise of increasing Konoha's budget should it be done correctly.

Now when Hiruzen reached that part, he decided that he would give this mission to someone who would get the job done; Konoha desperately needed a higher budget since the Kyuubi attack. Hiruzen put the request on the side, and called for one of his Anbu. When the Anbu appeared from the ceiling, Hiruzen smiled and said, "Get me Anko."

* * *

"Bye Sora!" Kiba yelled as he waved to his friend. Sora waved back, and began walking out of the academy. Despite everyone laughing at his claim of becoming Hokage, Sora had managed to befriend a few of the kids, such as Kiba, Shikamaru and Choji, often hanging out with them after school and sometimes skipping class with them. Sora raced home to the Sarutobi compound, almost bumping into Asuma.

"Asuma! Can you teach me the Hien now?" Sora asked excitedly. The Hien was a technique in which the user channels their chakra through a weapon such as a sword or knife, greatly increasing its cutting power. Asuma chuckled and ruffled Sora's hair.

"Sure kid. You go on out back, I'll go get the gear."

* * *

Anko knocked on the Hokage's door, opening it when she heard an "Enter". Anko walked in, bowing her head slightly to the Hokage. "You called, Hokage-Sama?" Anko asked rather quickly. She had just been about to torture the third Iwa spy that month, and was called right when her kunai was about to...let's move on.

Hiruzen took a small drag of his pipe, before answering. "Yes, Anko. I have an assassination mission for you. The details are in the request. Think you can handle it?" Anko grinned, and nodded.

"They won't know what hit them."

* * *

Sai and Naruto sat side by side in their room at Root Headquarters, pieces of paper scattered on the table in front of them. The two Root agents both held brushes in their hands, with an inkwell on the side. Sai made a few movements with his brush, painting a rather complicated seal on a piece of paper. "This is a seal used for absorbing small flames. It's not useful for battle, as the max limit is about the size of a campfire, but it is useful for clearing camp quickly." Naruto nodded at this, and began copying the seal.

Sai shook his head at the third attempt at the seal. "This is wrong, Naruto-Sempai. See the matrix here? The seal for Fire absorption and Fire reflection are very similar. Try again."

The two kept at it for another hour, before the door was rather rudely slammed open. Standing there was a rather irate Deidara, who was currently in new clothes. She had on short black midriff jacket, similar to Sai's. A black apron seemed attached to her black pants, and Naruto could see some small black pouches underneath. She had two larger black pouches strapped to her waist, no doubt filled with clay. Her hair was kept in its usual style, but now instead of a Iwa headband she was now using a Konoha one.

She had on black fingerless gloves, and there appeared to be zippers on the palms, most likely for her palm mouths. Deidara scowled as she noticed Naruto ogling her. "Oy, Blondie! Danzo wanted to see us, un." Naruto and Sai nodded, and the three unlikely companions began walking towards Danzo's office, with only their footsteps and Deidara's frequent mutterings about 'cheating blondes' and 'penis obsessed phonies'.

The three Root agents stepped into Danzo's office, and saw Danzo sitting calmly in his chair. "Good, you're here. I have a mission for you." Naruto and Sai kneeled to the ground and withdrew their Anbu masks, while Deidara stayed standing until Naruto yanked her to the ground too. Deidara glared at Naruto, while Danzo continued speaking.

"This morning, a mission request was sent by Matsuyo Okura, a nobleman on the Daimyo's council. He is known for voting frequently for a lower budget for Konoha, and he requested an assassination on his wife and the man she is having an affair with." Danzo was silent for a minute, before continuing. "However, Okura's wife discovered the mission request, and informed her lover, Kantaro Mochizuki, who is also an adviser for the Daimyo. Kantaro has requested that we stop the assassination, and also assassinate Matsuyo. In return, he offers his full support in helping Konoha. We stop someone who has dragged Konoha down for years, and we get the support of several other advisers."

Naruto raised his head. "Who accepted the mission, Danzo-Sama?"

"Anko Mitarashi. She is only a Tokubetsu Jonin, so the three of you should have no problems in the chance you encounter her. She is not vital for Konoha's safety...if you must kill her, do it." Danzo said harshly, than focused his gaze on Deidara. "Deidara, you must be the one to kill Okura. No one knows of your alliance with Konoha yet, so we can push the blame for this to Iwagakure. Understood?"

Deidara nodded her head lazily. "Yeah, yeah, kill the guy with bombs, no problem, un." Danzo nodded, making a sweeping gesture with his usable arm. The three Root agents jumped into action, as Danzo sat back at his desk.

* * *

The sun slowly began rising as Deidara flew on her clay bird towards the Fire Country capital, attempting to ignore her teammate's conversation. Sai flew on his ink bird, speaking rather loudly to Naruto who was riding on Deidara's bird.

"Naruto-Sempai. Do you have a Penis?" Sai asked with a smile on his face, and Naruto nodded as if it was a serious question.

"Of course, Sai-Kohai. Danzo trained me personally. He would not have wasted his time otherwise." Naruto spoke this as if it was truth, and Sai nodded. Deidara's eye was twitching, as the only thing they've been talking about for the past hour were penises. Sai looked towards Deidara, and asked, "Do _you _have a Penis, Deidara?"

Deidara slowly turned her head towards Sai, sending him a glare that gave even someone raised in Root the feeling of fear. Sai quickly turned away. "Never mind."

**_AN: There we go! Please Review!_**


	9. Anko

_**AN: Alright, bit of a longer chapter today. **_

Deidara and Naruto hopped off of her clay bird as they reached the Fire country Capital. Sai soon joined them as his Ink bird dispersed, and placed on his Root mask, as Naruto did the same. Naruto spoke softly, barely heard over the sounds of the nighttime city. "Deidara, Sai...let's hurry." Deidara and Sai nodded, and the three Root Agents began wandering through the capital under the cover of the shadows.

The three soon came upon a large, lavish looking mansion, and Naruto motioned his hand towards a second story window with the light on. Sai drew a small ink bird, which flew to the window and pecked it twice. The window opened, and the three Root agents entered the room.

A man was standing in the center of the room, wearing extremely lavish robes. He had a slightly rugged look to him, with a rather scruffy beard. His robes were light blue in color, and it clashed well with his black hair. His green eyes had a trusting look in them. He motioned to a few chairs set up in the room, before sitting on the bed.

"I'm glad you three could come. You were sent by Danzo-San, correct?" The man asked in a hopeful tone. This man, of course, was Kantaro Mochizuki. While other members of the Daimyo's court inherited their positions, Kantaro was different in that he was offered his position by the Daimyo himself. Raised in a rather small village far from Konoha, Kantaro moved to the capital to search for living. He had met the Daimyo, who, impressed with the young man, selected him to be an adviser.

Sanshouo nodded, and said, "Yes...We were ordered to assassinate Nobleman Okura, correct?" At the nod of confirmation from the adviser, Sanshouo continued speaking. "Understood. Two of us will stay and guard you, while the third performs the assassination."

Kantaro gave them a soft smile. "Thank you. If I make it out of this situation alive, Konoha will have my full support." Sanshouo and Sai nodded, while Deidara gave a short huff of annoyance. Even when she was in the Explosion corps, people weren't mentioning Iwa every five seconds. It was always stuff like '_Oh shit Tom blew himself up again' _or stuff like '_Anyone feel like blowing up some towers?_'. Iwagakure was always sort of a second objective to The Explosion Corps. Deidara could reasonably bet that 95% of the Corps would betray Iwa if it meant a chance to blow things up.

Of course, this was tied to the reason she had left. Everyone else in the corps saw Explosions as cool, merely looking at their destructive power. But Deidara saw them as Art, a true glimpse of _Life_. For a shinobi regularly required to kill mass groups of people at a time, seeing some form of beauty prevented her from going completely off the deep end. Sure, she had carpet bombed Iwagakure while horribly betraying her friends and everyone who saw her as family, but she saw it more as an Art show.

Deidara's thoughts of doing a repeat performance in Konoha was cut off by Sanshouo's voice. "Deidara. The mission will start soon...Do you need help?"

Deidara scoffed at him, pulling a small clay bird from her pocket. "Please. One look at my Art and that little nobleman will die, un. And the Konoha nin too, if she gets in the way. Just keep Kantaro company." Deidara threw her bird out of the window, where it grew much larger. Giving a two finger salute to her fellow Root members, Deidara jumped out of the window onto her bird, and flew off.

* * *

Anko knocked twice on the door of her client, tapping her foot silently against the floor. Nearly five minutes passed before the door was opened by a woman who made Anko almost jealous.

The woman had long platinum blonde hair, reaching down to her shins. The hair was slightly parted in front of her rather pale face, which was wearing a small smile. Her eyes were a strange shade of green. The woman was wearing a very pretty pink kimono, and blue orb earrings. The woman raised a delicate eyebrow, speaking in a soft soothing tone. "Um...who are you?"

Anko shook her head of her thoughts, grinning widely to the chick. This must be her target, than. "I'm Anko. I was hired to be Matsuyo Okura's guard. Do you know him?" Anko already knew the answer, but it was always better to be...subtle on Assassination missions. Not like the first five, where she demanded to fight her target one on one. Ibiki had given her quite the lecture that day.

The woman's face brightened up considerably. "Ah, you mean Okura-Kun! He's my husband. I'll take you to him. Please, follow me." The woman began walking down the corridor, moving a bit oddly for a noblewoman. Anko just shrugged and followed after. The chick was gonna be dead by the end of the day anyway, who was she to care what she walked like?

The two came upon a large double set of sliding doors, in which a mans silhouette could be seen. The woman knocked softly on the door. "Okura-Kun? Your guard is here. The one from Konoha." The mans silhouette stood up, and approached the door. When the door opened, it was to the sight of a rather large man with a clean-shaven fairly handsome face. His skin was a slight tan, and short dark hair covered the top of his face. His clothing consisted of a plain white Yukata. His grey eyes were slanted with what appeared to be disgust at the sight of Anko's...clothing.

"So you are Anko. That'll be all, Kotsuka. Leave us." The woman bowed and left. Okura sat on the ground, motioning for Anko to do the same. Anko shut the doors closed and sat, being careful to avoid stabbing herself with her crotch kunai.

Yeah. Anko was ALWAYS prepared.

Okura cleared his voice, and began speaking rather quickly. "As you can tell, that was my wife. If you read your mission report, than you know I want her and that bastard Kantaro killed. You do this, I'll think about increasing Konoha's budget." Anko stopped herself from frowning.

"So I kill those two, and we get a _possible _budget increase? Guess it's the best I'll get..." Okura went to speak once more, before hundreds of explosions rang out. It was only thanks to Anko hauling his ass to another room that he wasn't killed. Anko grinned. "So, looks like you have people after you too. Eh, guess that I'll deal with 'em." Anko drew two kunai, and jumped outside of the house onto the roof, which now had fires raging upon it. Anko peered into the night sky, seeing a small white fleck in the sky. Grinning, Anko wrapped an explosion note around one of the kunai, throwing it straight up.

* * *

Deidara flew in the sky, looking down at the damage her first round of bombs had done. She was REALLY hoping that the mission was done, but one look through her scope, hidden under her bangs, showed the Konoha ninja grinning at her. Deidara touched a button on the scope, focusing on the object being sent her way. "Is that a...oh shit, un..." The kunai exploded as Deidara tried moving her bird out of the way, causing an explosion that shot Deidara out of the sky towards the ground.

* * *

Naruto looked out of the window of Kantaro's room as he heard the explosion in the sky. His thoughts immediately flew to Deidara, but the training he had received under Root quickly crushed any feelings of worry for his squad member. The Mission comes before everything...

Naruto's eye widened as he saw a small glint of light race towards him, ducking before it broke the window. Sai immediately withdrew his drawing tools, as Naruto picked up the object. "Glass?"

Naruto reared back and threw a kunai at another Glass shard, withdrawing his tanto to block a swing from an invisible sword. Naruto stared at the figure holding the blade, but all he could see was the figure's green eyes, as the rest of the body was hidden under dark clothing. Naruto broke contact first, sliding back as he felt a cut open on his cheek. The blonde Root agents saw a small reflection of light from the 'invisible' blade, and narrowed his only eye. "That sword...is made of glass..."

Kantaro was backed against the wall, Sai in front of him already preparing some Ink jutsu. Naruto removed his medical eye-patch, Kagami's sharingan flaring to life. "I didn't expect Konoha to send two assassins after the same target...Guess I'll be rid of you both, than. Sai! Protect Kantaro." Sai nodded. Naruto held his tanto in front of him, wind chakra racing up its edge as his cut cheek already healed. "Now then...Let's begin."

_**AN: Done. Deidara VS Anko/ Naruto and Sai VS Glass ninja. Lets see how it turns out next chapter.**_

_**Also, quick question for you all. Should Sora get Sage Mode from the Toads?**_

_**What Should Naruto's summoning be? Salamander, Chameleon, or Baku (Danzo's summon)?**_

_**Are there any characters you would like to see in Root? Or at least, any you wish to see more of?**_

_**Please answer these questions, and Review! **_

_**KenshinAkagi...signing off.**_


	10. Naruto V Invisible Sword

**AN: Time for the next chapter of Roots. I've decided that: Sora WILL get Sage Mode from the Toads, but only in shippuden.**

**Naruto will get Salamander, Chameleon, and MAYBE Baku. Salamander will be used more than the others, though Chameleon or Baku will be obtained first.**

**While no one asked for any new members for Root, I have a few characters in mind I'm sure will be quite...unexpected. Let's just say that the characters I have in mind will keep Danzo safe and sound.**

Anko slowly stalked past the scene of destruction the strange bird had caused when it crashed, looking for the girl riding it. Explosives, a blonde girl, flying bird...Anko concluded that her opponent was Deidara of Iwagakure, a former Explosion Corps leader before she went missing-nin.

The Konoha Tokubetsu Jonin clutched a kunai in her palm as she stepped into an alley, barely managing to jump out of the way as a bird exploded right in front of her. Anko cursed as smoke filled her vision, swinging her Kunai forward and slicing a clay bat that had been waiting for a break in her guard.

Deidara flew in the air on a newly crafted clay bird, rubbing the burn wounds she had suffered from her previous explosion in pain. While Deidara excelled in explosives, her Explosive Release didn't mean Explosion wouldn't damage her, only null the pain somewhat. The blonde artist growled as she fed more clay into her palms, preparing for her C2. She would have to finish the fight soon to get her burns looked at.

As the Clay Dragon emerged from her hands, Deidara jumped on top of it while sending her bird plummeting down below. Anko saw the bird coming down, and aimed one of her arms to a nearby window. **"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"** Anko yelled as five snakes shot from her sleeve, clutching onto the window and pulling her to it before the explosion reached her.

Anko took a few seconds to catch her breath, trying to think of something she could do to defeat the blonde bomber. Anko knew her fighting style was horrible for this situation, having practically no Elemental Ninjutsu and no Genjutsu strong enough to extend that far a distance to impact Deidara. She was always more of an assassination expert, good at attacking when the opponent didn't know she was there. Fighting a long-range expert was her worst possible matchup.

It wasn't well known, but Tokubetsu Jonin aren't actually considered Jonin. They're just Chunin with Konin level skills in one or two areas. Anko, for example, was Jonin level in Torture and Interrogation, along with Ibiki. Luckily for Anko, however, Deidara was also a Tokubetsu Jonin, excelling in Explosives. On the other hand, Explosives were a lot more useful in this fight than Torture and Interrogation.

Her train of thought was interrupted as tons of explosions rocked the building, forcing her to dodge as best she could. When the assault died down, her fishnet mesh suit was nearly destroyed, exposing her for the entire world to see. She grimaced in pain, burns covering her entire chest. Deidara chuckled atop her clay dragon. "Having trouble there?" She yelled out teasingly. "Just a suggestion; don't go dressing like a whore when you get the honor of facing my art, un!"

Anko growled, and brought out her crotch Kunai. She would kill this little pyromaniac if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

Naruto swung his tanto again, watching as it seemingly reflected off of mid-air. He dodged far to the left, unable to track the path of the 'Invisible' sword. He had already concluded it was made of glass, but he was beginning to believe his opponent could extend it at will, as his many wounds could attest to.

The mysterious assassin just stood calmly watching at him, though Naruto could tell his opponent was getting frustrated. The assassin tilted their head to the left, and spoke in a calm muffled voice. "A shame. I can't believe a brat is making me waste my time...do me a favor and die, won't you?" The figure removed a small glass sphere, and tossed it towards Naruto who performed a few handseals. **"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!" **Naruto sucked in gulps of air, shooting them out at high speeds knocking the sphere out of his path to the corner of the room. His opponent jumped to the side, swinging their blade up to block a bullet only for their blade to shatter and glass to shoot everywhere.

The sphere impacted against the wall, and Naruto could see chakra swelling up inside it via his sharingan. The sphere glowed brightly, until it exploded spraying glass shards everywhere. Naruto's sharingan spun rapidly as a cloak of red chakra surrounded him, serving as armor from the deadly shards. Naruto spoke, "Sai! How are you and Kantaro?"

Sai removed a few glass shards from his arm. "We're doing okay, Sanshou-Sempai. The glass didn't hit over here as much." Naruto nodded, his chakra cloak fading.

The figure extended another blade of glass from the handle, and darted forward towards Naruto. Naruto blocked using his tanto, as the figure headbutted him. Naruto stumbled back from the unexpected blow, and the assassin took the opportunity to create a wide gash across his chest. As the assassin went in for a killing strike, however, an ink bat flew onto their face, blinding them. Naruto recovered, and formed a shadow clone. The two Naruto's went through different handseals.

**"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"**

**"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!"**

The Naruto clone shot a massive force of wind at the Assassin, shoot them through the window. Naruto himself shot air bullets at them, tearing most of the assassins clothing off and leaving several wounds. Naruto felt a miniscule smirk appear on his face. '_It's not as strong as Danzo-Sama when he works alongside Baku...but at least it's something.'_

The assassin landed roughly on a nearby building, now revealed to be a woman. She clutched her wounds as Naruto jumped onto the same building. Naruto tilted his head, and began speaking. "Ah...so Konoha only hired one assassin after all. Who would've suspected Kotsuka Okura as the mysterious assassin behind the deaths of Kantaro Mochizuki and Nobleman Okura? Though I must say, your plan was quite well made. Have the Konoha ninja kill each other, while you swoop in and kill the remainders? You would've gained the fortunes of both Okura and Mochizuki..."

Kotsuka spit at Naruto's feet as she stood up, gingerly holding a wound on her side. Her beautiful face looked dreadful as it contorted in rage. "You little shit! You're ruining everything! Konoha _always_ ruins everything!"

Naruto glared at her, but Kotsuka didn't notice, too wrapped up in her rant. "Konoha took my parents from me during the last war! Even as we speak, they weaken the village of my birth, Sunagakure! I fled my village, turned missing nin as a chunin, just so I could get revenge. Even if I could get just a few missions back to Sunagakure, I would be happy. But that bastard, Okura, was more focused on lining his own pockets. And that Mochizuki punk was too proud to help Konoha...but it doesn't matter now, does it? I'll just kill you here...my last act against Konoha!"

Glass began covering her arms, until she now had glass gauntlets. Naruto created another clone, which began spinning his hands rapidly over Naruto's outstretched left one. "In the name of Root and Konoha...perish, Kotsuka." Naruto rushed forward with his Rasengan as Kotsuka rushed with one hand racing forward in a devastating punch. As the two attacks were nearing each other, Naruto's Sharingan swirled and Naruto threw his arm underneath Kotsuka's fist, slamming his Rasengan straight into her chest.

Kotsuka grinned, even as blood shot from her throat as her internal organs were shredded, and threw her other fist straight into Naruto's unprotected face. Naruto's sharingan detected the movement, however, and Naruto's right arm raced forward to block the blow, even as the glass shattered spraying shards deep into his right arm. Kotsuka was shot back by the force from the Rasengan, falling to the ground dead, blood dripping from both her mouth and her chest, her face stuck in a smile knowing that she had injured Konoha one last time.

Naruto fell to the ground, his eyes wide as he funneled Kyubi's chakra into his right arm, burning in pain as glass emerged from his arm and the wounds behind it healed. An ink bird perched itself on his shoulder, and Naruto nodded to it as it flew back to its owner. Naruto struggled up, and looked to where a clay dragon was flying in the sky. Naruto began making his way over to it, even as his right arm continued healing.

Sai looked as his bird came back and dissolved into ink, and looked towards Kantaro. "The assassin has been killed...it was Kotsuka." Kantaro widened his eyes in shock, until he recovered and nodded.

"I should have suspected...she always seemed to be holding back anger when she mentioned Konoha...Thank you, Sai-san. Thank Danzo-San for me as well."

Sai nodded, and began packing his ink supplies. All that was left was to get Deidara after she finished her fight, and return to Konoha.

* * *

Deidara flew around calmly on her clay dragon, launching a few bombs down below whenever she sighted that stupid little Snake Whore. She yawned after not seeing her opponent for nearly five whole minutes. As Deidara flew her dragon around for another bombing, she realized why Anko had disappeared, when several snakes shot onto the Dragons wing, damaging it and ruining her flight pattern. Anko was on the other side of the snakes, holding a kunai in her palm that she threw straight at the dragon.

Deidara cursed, but grinned as she had her dragon shoot several bombs made from its own tail at Anko. If Anko wanted to dodge the explosion, she would have to relinquish her hold on the dragon's wing, which would enable Deidara to fly away. Any second now...Anko was still holding onto the snakes, grinning a rather messed up grin even as several explosions darted towards her. Deidara jumped off her dragon, falling hundreds of feet to the ground, placing her hands together and yelling, "**KATSU!"**

The dragon and all the bombs exploded, frying Anko to a crisp even as she tried to escape. The explosion was racing towards Deidara, who had a massive grin on her face and tears in her eyes. _'This...this is my Art.'_

As she prepared herself to be consumed by her art, she was grabbed and brought quickly to the ground even as Okura's entire mansion exploded. As she looked into the face of the one who interrupted her appreciation for art, she saw Naruto looking down at her.

"Ah. You're okay. Good." Naruto said, throwing Deidara over his shoulder in a firemans carry and swinging a kuani in the air as two ink birds, one carrying Sai, came to him. "For a second there...I thought I wouldn't make it in time."

Deidara frowned as she was loaded on a bird, ignoring Sai's recollection of events. The faster she got back to Konoha, the faster she could blow all these idiots up.

* * *

"Are you positive she's here?"

"Of course; do you doubt my spy network?"

The two having this conversation made a rather odd sight. One was a tall tan man with a white hood and black mask hiding his mouth, with strange green eyes. He was wearing a black cloak covered in Red Clouds.

His partner, on the other hand, was a short hunchbacked man with a black mask covering his mask as well. His hair was five stripes of black on an otherwise bald head, and he too was wearing a black cloak with red clouds, which hid his entire body.

The two entered Fire Nation's capital, walking through the horribly burned district. The Short man spoke up in a gruff voice. "Tch. My spies didn't report this..."

The tall man interrupted him. "As long as I get a bounty, I don't care, Sasori."

The newly named Sasori glared at the tall man. "We already agreed that if she's dead, I make her into a puppet, Kakuzu. Remember?" Kakuzu sighed, seemingly accepting defeat. The two strange men reached their destination, a large mansion that seemed to have suffered damage from intense winds. Kakuzu knocked on the door, and a young-looking man answered. "Hello?"

Kakuzu nodded to the man, and said, "Hello, sir. Me an my partner were wondering, do you know where a miss Kotsuka Okura lives?"

A look of pain crossed the mans face. "She died, just last night in fact. She's buried in the graveyard just south of here. Sorry." The man closed the door, and Sasori chuckled.

"Looks like I get a new puppet, Kakuzu. Now hurry up, I want to get the body before it decomposes too much." The two strange men began walking to the cemetery, ignorant of the fact the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was flying a mere half a mile away.

**AN: End of this chapter. Woot. Next will be a time skip.**

**And yes, Sasori and Kakuzu are partners. They will be quite important...heh heh...**

**Oh, and can you guys take a look at animefreaks2? He's a good friend of mine IRL, and I said I'd send some people his way. He writes Vocaloid fics, though he has a strange fascination with Hatsune Miku.**

**Also, I've gotten a few comments on Danzo. While Danzo isn't good in the sense 'Ya lets hug everybody be super nice' he's good in the sense that he isn't a massive douchebag. I'm sick of all the fics where he's portrayed as nothing more than a tyrannical war hawk. **

**KenshinAkagi...signing off.**


	11. Yamato, Leader of Team Seven

Danzo walked purposefully in the Hokage Tower on his way to the council room, his Root Anbu keeping an unseen guard around him. It had been three years since the mission involving the Daimyo's advisors, and Danzo was glad to note that the three Root Anbu had excelled leaps and bounds since that day. Hiruzen had of course sent ninja to investigate the death of Anko, but Danzo had Root Anbu traveling around the five nations spreading rumors of Deidara's travels.

The Root Commander entered the council room as his Root Anbu immediately left for more secure positions around the room. The Sandaime and the two advisors entered the room minutes later, and everyone settled in their chairs. Hiruzen lit his pipe, took a small drag, and shuffled a few documents around the table. "I've called you here to discuss this years Academy Teams. This year we have several clan heirs, and other...people of interest. First, Team 10, under the leadership of Asuma Sarutobi. Asuma has requested Sora Sarutobi to be on his team. Any objections?"

Danzo cleared his throat. "While Asuma has shown he is a capable sensei and fighter in his time as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja...He is incapable of containing the Jinchuuriki should it rampage." Homura and Koharu nodded in agreement. Homura spoke next, "I agree with Danzo...In all of Konoha's history, a Sarutobi was always the sensei to the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi. I see no reason to change that."

"Ah...but you do not see what I have planned. Sasuke Uchiha...Sora Sarutobi...and Sakura Haruno...all are incredibly influential. It was my plan to place the three of them on a team...in fact, I believe that they are capable of being the next generation of Sannin!" Said Hiruzen, enjoying the looks of shock on the council's faces. The last Uchiha, The Kyubi Jinchuuriki, and the daughter of an influential civilian family.

Danzo straightened in his chair. "Hiruzen...Are you willing to put them through the training to become the second generation?"

Hiruzen took a drag from his puff. "I trained the Sannin during a war. They were forced to advance quickly. With this team, I am sure my son will train them correctly. Why, Iruka tells me Sakura acts almost just like Tsunade when she was young. Sasuke is a prodigy on the levels of Orochimaru, and I can assure you Sora is just as skilled as Jiraiya was."

Danzo slammed his fist on the table. "Haruno is from a civilian family, while Tsunade was from the Senju Clan. Comparing them on personality has nothing to do with being a Shinobi. The Uchiha, I admit, is a prodigy, but only in the Shinobi branch. Orochimaru was a Genius in the scientific field and combined that with natural Shinobi talent. And even though The Uchiha is a prodigy, he pales in comparison to Itachi. And than there is the Jinchuuriki...if you want to raise it to be a perverted old hermit, fine. But know that I won't stand by and watch as Konoha falls in war due to your desire to change your mistakes."

Hiruzen looked at Danzo disapprovingly, but Danzo didn't care as he continued on. "I admire the fact that you decided to adopt the Jinchuuriki. But you should realize that the Kyuubi is too powerful to be contained by whatever seal the Sarutobi _think _is strong enough. Need I remind you that even Kushina Uzumaki failed to contain the Kyuubi properly, even with the sealing expertise of Minato, and that led to the Kyuubi attack 12 years ago? Had you adopted the Fourth's Legacy than I would let you train him to be how perverted you would wish him to be. Is that why you adopted the Jinchuuriki? To fix the mistakes of the past?" Danzo had his visible eye narrowed at Hiruzen. Homura and Koharu were staring at the two rivals in silence.

Hiruzen spoke softly. "Danzo..."

Danzo stood up. "Enough of this, Hiruzen. The situation with Iwa is getting worse. If you won't do something to protect Konoha, than I will." Danzo walked out of the room, clutching his cane in his hand. He let a smirk play across his face ever so slightly. While he hated the fact he had to lose the grip on his emotions, it was necessary to convince Hiruzen to increase the training as much as possible. Orochimaru had contacted him, revealing the invasion would be during the next Chunin Exams, and Danzo was going to make sure Konoha was as protected as possible.

* * *

Sora leaned back in his chair, watching all of the kids in class talking excitedly. Today was the day they would be splitting into their teams, becoming official ninja. Sora smiled and fixed his headband around his neck, finishing just as Iruka entered the room with the assistant teacher Mizuki.

Iruka began calling out the names. "Team Seven is Sora Sarutobi, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. Your sensei is Yamato." Sora looked at his teammates. He didn't really like Sakura, she was kind of annoying. Sasuke was a bit better, but he would sometimes act like a prick. Sora felt a bit down that Asuma couldn't be his sensei, but shrugged it off. Iruka continued the list. "Team Eight is Hinata Hyuuga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka. Your sensei is Kurenai Yuuhi."

"Team Nine is still in circulation. Team Ten is Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka. Your sensei is Asuma Sarutobi." Iruka sat back down at his desk, speaking in hushed tones with Mizuki about the rumoured release of Jiraiya's newest book. Several Jonin came into the room soon after, asked for a team, than left. When Asuma came in, he gave a sad look towards Sora, before collecting his team and leaving.

Sora stared up at the sky bored as the final jonin entered. The jonin had short brown hair with a happuri style forehead protector. He wore the standard jonin green flak jacket, and he gave an uneasy smile to the team. "Sorry I'm late. I just found out I was leading a team today. Meet me on the roof." Yamato made a seal and used shunshin to get to the roof.

Team Seven reached the roof five minutes later, to see Yamato sitting casually on the railing. "Okay, lets all introduce ourselves. Tell us your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dream for the future. I'm Yamato, I like Walnuts and gardening. I hate oily foods. My hobby is to read books on Architecture. My dream for the future is to surpass my Senpai. Okay...uh, Uchiha."

Sasuke looked up from his hands. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I don't have any likes, and I dislike a lot of things. My hobby is training. And my dream..." Flashes of the Salamander masked boy and Itachi appeared in Sasuke's mind. "My dream...no, ambition...is to kill two certain people..."

Yamato nodded. "Okay, let's have the girl next."

Sakura smiled. "I'm Sakura Haruno. I like..." Sakura cast a few not so secret looks over at Sasuke. "I dislike Ino-pig, and my hobbies are..." Again, Sakura looked over at Sasuke and giggled. "My dream for the future..." Sakura now gained a massive blush on her face, and a small nosebleed.

Yamato casually scooted away from her and pointed to Sora. "You're up."

Sora nodded. "I'm Sora Sarutobi. I like Konoha, the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and Asuma. I dislike anyone who hates Konoha! My hobbies are training, and helping Konohamaru with his studies. My dream for the future..." Sora looked at the Hokage Monument. "I...want to be Hokage..."

Yamato smiled. "Well than...you'll have to pass the test tomorrow, now won't you? Meet me at training ground Seven at ten. Don't be late." Yamato disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving only a wooden dummy, and Team Seven stayed shocked for a few seconds before Sora yelled, "Not Fair!"

* * *

Yamato rubbed his head as he received his Wood Bunshin's memories, and smiled. He continued walking within the inner halls of Anbu Headquarters. He leaned against the wall next to an Anbu member who was dressed in full Anbu gear. Yamato spoke. "Hello, Inu-Senpai. I just found out I have a Genin Team. It has the Uchiha on it."

Inu stayed silent, and said a few minutes later, "Sandaime offered me that team too. I refused it. Too busy in Anbu."

Yamato nodded, taking a sip of some freshly made coffee. "Well, I'm going to be gone from Anbu for a while. Can you cover for me, Kakashi-Senpai?" Inu nodded, and Yamato left. Yamato strode quickly to the halls, stopping shock as he heard a voice mutter, "Konoe."

Yamato spun around, to see Danzo standing calmly behind him. Danzo continued speaking. "Good...you still remember who you order to, Konoe. Or is it Tenzo? Or Yamato?"

Yamato glared. "It's Yamato, now. I'm not in Root anymore, Danzo! I have a genin team now."

Danzo waved Yamato off. "I know that. I also know you've been assigned the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki...consider this a mission in Root. Konoe...Yamato...protect and train the Jinchuuriki."

Yamato narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, Danzo?" Danzo opened Shisui's eye underneath his bandages. Casting Kotoamatsukami, Danzo spoke. "Protect Sora Sarutobi. Train him to be a powerful ninja, to control the Kyuubi's chakra."

Yamato stood there in a daze. When he finally regained focus, Danzo was gone, and Yamato had no memory of their meeting.

_**AN:Hello, everyone. Just found out that Yamato and Kakashi used to be in Root. Who knew?**_

_**KenshinAkagi...signing off.**_


	12. Emotionless Jealousy

_**AN: Team Seven's mission to Wave. Team Naruto go on a mission to Wave too...I'm sure you can see the problems that will arise.**_

"Do you see them, Deidara?" Naruto questioned from his place atop of one of Sai's ink birds. Deidara was flying on one of her clay birds, searching the area around the Land of Waves with her scope, occasionally taking a picture. The three Root agents had grown into a powerful unit since the Daimyo Advisor mission. Deidara had finally mastered the use of C4, Sai had created new forms of Ink based creatures, and Naruto had finally learnt how to transport objects with Hiraishin.

Deidara smirked when she finally caught sight of their targets. "Found them, un." They were now flying above a poor village, directly overhead four Konohagakure Shinobi. The Root agents had yet to be spotted, and Naruto stood on the ink bird.

"Sai, go scouting for Gato's possible location. When you find it, use your scroll technique to tell us. Don't engage Gato no matter what, got it?" Sai nodded to show he understood, and flew off away from Deidara and Naruto.

Naruto looked down at the Shinobi. "Deidara...I have a particular assignment for you..." Deidara tilted her head in confusion. When Naruto failed to clarify, Deidara threw a small cherry bomb at him, which exploded right in his face. Deidara snapped at him, "Out with it, idiot!"

Naruto nodded. "Distract the Jonin of Team 7. My mission will be too difficult to complete if _he's _involved." Deidara smirked.

"Distract him by any means necessary, Taicho?" She asked, holding a lump of clay in her palm. She was really hoping he'd say yes, it had been almost a week since she blew something up, and she was getting antsy. Naruto nodded after a few seconds, and Deidara grinned. "If you weren't such a robot, I'd probably kiss you right now."

Naruto waved off her advances, and began muttering under his breath, fingering with his eye patch. Deidara pouted, but flew off as her palms mouths began devouring the clay greedily. Naruto stayed upon the ink bird, watching Team 7 carefully.

"I don't understand..." He muttered softly, gazing longingly at Sora. "Why does Danzo-sama care about _you_ so much?"

* * *

Sai flew to a small warehouse at the harbor, landing behind one of the walls as his bird shrunk back into ink and flew back into his inkwell. Sai glanced around him carefully, painting a few rats who emerged from a scroll and began running off. Sai leaned against the wall, as the ink rats came back. Sai looked at the information they placed back on the scroll, and nodded, placing his 'Oni' Anbu mask on his face.

A massive cleaver was swung down through the wall, which Sai barely diverted with his Tanto. A man was standing on the other side of the gash, shirtless and with bandages wrapped around his mouth. He leered at Sai, and spoke in a rough voice. "The hell...more Konoha ninja?!"

"Ah...Zabuza Momochi, The Demon of the Mist. So you are working for Gato." Said Sai, who brought out a blank scroll and his ink brush. He drew a group of birds that flew of the scroll, some flying straight towards Zabuza and others flying in the other direction. Zabuza merely cut through the birds with Kubikiribocho, than sliced his way through the wall. Sai jumped back, preparing to draw another beast only for a senbon to pierce through his brush.

A figure dropped down near Zabuza, wearing a blue haori and Kiri hunter-nin mask. He held senbon in each of his hands, and said, "I'm here, Zabuza-sama." Zabuza pointed Kubikiribocho at Sai, and grinned beneath his bandages.

Whatever he was about to say was cut of by dozens of small explosions farther into town, and Sai brought out a replacement brush, drawing an ink bird. Sai jumped on top of it, and began flying towards the explosions, as Zabuza and Haku followed him.

* * *

Deidara flew a small distance away from Naruto's location, slowly dropping small bombs on top of buildings. The bombs turned into clay spiders, which crawled into the cracks of the ruined buildings, going to key points of the infrastructure. Deidara smirked, and put her hands in a familiar seal. "Time to show this stupid town the meaning of Art!" She yelled out, before her bird stopped flying and she grinned down at the town. "Art is a Bang!"

"**KATSU!"**

Explosions rang out across the buildings, crashing down on the people inside. Deidara withdrew some small centipede bombs, tossing them down on the ground. The centipedes wrapped around the legs of fleeing townspeople, before exploding. Deidara stood atop her bird laughing like mad. What fun! To see all the townspeople fleeing in fear of her Art, of the emotions she brings out!

Deidara's appreciation of her art was interrupted as a tree branch shot from the ground and nearly destroyed her bird. Deidara glared down to see that the Jonin of Team 7 was on the ground, already preparing another jutsu. Deidara smirked, sending down another round of bombs at the Jonin, who raised a branch from the ground to swat the bombs aside.

"You're...Deidara, the missing-nin from Iwa...what's someone like you doing working for Gato?" Yamato asked, his hands clenched together as he channeled chakra into his next attack. Deidara's visible eye widened. She had never made any mention of working for Gato, but if that was what Yamato believed, than sure.

Deidara grinned. Time to ham it up. "Gato hired me to spread my Art to this ground. Don't see why he did, these guys are peasants. But, I am of the opinion that everyone should feel my art! Including you! KATSU!" Deidara smirked as the clay centipede that had launched itself on Yamato's back exploded.

Her smirk fell as another tree branch stabbed towards her, and she barely maneuvered out of the way. Yamato appeared on the ground, perfectly unharmed. Deidara growled as she noticed the wooden dummy that was in his original place. Deidara fed more clay into her palms, and grinned at Yamato. "Well, Jonin? Think you can face my Art? After all, I doubt you can make those little clones forever."

* * *

Sora groaned as leaned back on the porch at Tazuna's house, playing with a kunai in his hand. Team 7's first C mission was going decent, but it was still pretty boring. When they first started it was exciting, especially when their sensei completely wrecked two Kiri-missing ninja, than dragged them back to Konoha with a Wood Clone. Sora had gotten slightly worried when the Mist Swordsman had captured their sensei in some kind of water prison, but Yamato had managed to break out of it by stabbing Zabuza with tree branches that had grown right below him.

After that, the days followed the same old schedule. Yamato's Wood Clone would train them for the first half of the day, while the rest of the day would go to casual sparring. Sora was glad to see that Sakura was getting much stronger than before, learning a few Genjutsu from Yamato. Sasuke was also much more bearable than he had been the month before.

Just as Sora was going to groan for the fourth time, explosions rang off in the distance. Yamato jumped up, and looked at his team. "Stay here, and protect Tazuna." He ordered, before running off.

Sakura looked at Sora fearfully. "What do you think's happening? Is it Zabuza?" She asked worriedly, but any response she could have expected was cut short as a figure jumped from the sky.

The boy was wearing an all black under armor, with the standard Anbu gear covering it. A black midriff jacket with red straps covered his grey flak jacket, and a tanto was tied to his back with a grey sash that was tied around his waist like a belt. Long blonde hair dropped to his shoulders, and he was tapping the ground with open toed black ninja sandals.

All of these details were lost to Sasuke, who could only focus on the Anbu mask the boy was wearing...specifically, a Salamander Anbu mask. Sasuke's Sharingan activated as he gazed upon one of the objects of his revenge, and his handsome face looked fierce as he snarled in anger. He launched himself at the boy, who twisted himself away from the blow, before launching three punches to Sasuke's stomach.

"Calm down, Uchiha...I'm not here for you." Sanshouo said, looking at Sora alone. Sora threw the kunai in his palm at Sanshouo as he withdrew his Trench Knives. Sanshouo held his hand up, and the kunai seemingly disappeared in a yellow flash, and Sora could see what appeared to be a seal on Sanshouo's hand glow.

Sanshouo place his hand down. Despite his lack of emotions, he felt...happy, that the Hiraishin had worked. It took a bit more chakra out of him than he would have expected, but it felt like merely a drop to his reserves. Sanshouo withdrew his tanto, pointing it at Sora. "Now...let's see if you have what it takes to be called 'Shinobi'."

_**AN: Ah yea son. Sasuke and Sora V Naruto, Sai and Deidara V Zabuza and Haku V Yamato next chapter. Look forward to it.**_

**_Also, _****_does anyone know some good Dark Lord Slytherin Harry fics? Preferably one where:_**

**_1. He is friends with Draco, Theodore, etc._**

**_2. Hermione isn't a goddamn pureblood, and thus Harry is racist towards her being Mudblood?_**

**_3. Harry begins using Dark Arts._**

**_4. No Slash. I suppose I could put up with Harry/Draco, but no goddamn Lord Voldemort/Harry. Seriously. The fuck wrong with people._**

**_Review, please! The more you review, the less drugs I need, and the less crazy shit I write!_**

**_KenshinAkagi...signing off._**


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